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The 1950s

The 1950s. The G.I. Bill . Prioritized jobs for veterans 4 million veterans used low-interest loans & mortgages College or job training paid by government 1947 = Over 50% of college students are WW2 vets. The Affluent Society.

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The 1950s

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  1. The 1950s

  2. The G.I. Bill • Prioritized jobs for veterans • 4 million veterans used low-interest loans & mortgages • College or job training paid by government • 1947 = Over 50% of college students are WW2 vets

  3. The Affluent Society • 1960 = 60% of US families owned homes, 75% owned cars, 87% owned 1 TV • 1950 = Diner’s Club issued first credit card

  4. Life in the Suburbs • 58 million cars purchased in 1950s • 85% of the 13 million new homes built in the 1950s located in suburbs

  5. Red Lining, restrictive covenants, & loan denials blocked African Americans from buying homes in white suburbs

  6. Ticky Tacky Houses “A multitude of uniform, unidentifiable houses, lined up inflexibly, at uniform distances, on uniform roads, in a treeless communal waste, inhabited by people of the same class, the same income, the same age group, witnessing the same television performances, eating the same tasteless prefabricated foods, from the same freezers, conforming to in every outward and inward respect to a common mold.” --Lewis Mumford, The City in History, 1961

  7. Levittown, New York

  8. Consumerism & Conformity • 1/7 of income spent on entertainment • 1946 = 1 out of 18,000 homes had 1 TV vs. 1960 = Almost 9 out of 10 homes had 1 TV • Advertising created brand consciousness • TV celebrated conformity, family shows, teen idols, perfect mothers

  9. Beauty Standards • Products marketed to “keep your husband” • 1956 = Average weight for women is 15 pounds lighter than 1926 average weight • 1956 = $1.3 billion spent on cosmetics, $660 million on beauty treatments, $400 million on soap and electric grooming, $65 million on “reducing”

  10. Domesticity • The Baby Boom Generation = 76 million born between 1946 – 1964 • By 1960, 1/3 of U.S. population were children under 14 • Dr. Spock, Common Sense Book of Baby & Child, 1946

  11. Marriage in Pop Culture “Catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction; don’t complain if he’s home late for dinner or stays out all night; don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment; a good wife always knows her place.” --Housekeeping Monthly, “The Good Wife’s Guide,” 1955

  12. 1950s Marriage Mania • By 1951 = 69% of all US women were married • 1 in 3 wed by 19 • By 1957 = 14 million girls engaged by 17

  13. Single Women in the 1950s • “Lone Female” studied by writers & psychiatrists • Hostility & suspicion directed towards single women & working women • 1955 = Over 300 pro-marriage books published for women

  14. Home Economics Textbook, 1956 • Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal—on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home! • Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Have them properly dressed to give their greetings. • Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow…speak in a low soothing and pleasant voice.

  15. Urban Hotels for Single Women • High rise, all-girl hotels & boarding houses • NYC’s Barbizon Hotel for Women used by movie stars Grace Kelly, Liza Minnelli, writers Gael Greene, Sylvia Plath • Gael Greene, New York Post, 1958, claimed hotels evoked fears of spinsterhood

  16. Single Pregnancy in the 1950s • 1944 – 1955 = 80% increase in # of white babies up for adoption • All abortion illegal in 1950s: 800 – 1,000 women died each year • Hospital abortion committee required 2 letters diagnosing a woman as psychologically impaired • Options = Quick marriage, illegal/unsafe abortion, “Home for Wayward Girls” before adoption • Race determined options of a single mother

  17. Sexuality in the 1950s • Dr. Alfred Kinsey’s Studies on Sex in Marriage, 1948 & 1953 • Surveys uncovered pre-marital sex, masturbation, affairs, & homosexuality • Attitudes towards marital sex no longer about procreation • Promoted female sexuality as normal

  18. Giving Birth in the 1950s • Obstetricians almost always male • No lamaze, few midwives • Women had little knowledge of anesthesia, c-sections, hysterectomies • Doctors hostile to breastfeeding; 25% breastfed from 1940 - 1970

  19. Unhappiness of 1950s Housewives • 51 – 56 hours of weekly housekeeping (unpaid labor) • Alcoholism, domestic violence ignored by police • “Mother’s Little Helper” used for housework • 1/4 - 1/3 of couples married in 1950s would eventually divorce • Strict gender roles pressured women to stay out of the workforce

  20. The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, 1963 • Exposed the plight of housewives, “The Problem With No Name” • Sold more than 1 million copies • Re-launched the Feminist Movement

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